ESIS extension / Key Person Contacts and Organisations / Poland / Update Memo 2

1.1 The privatisation of Telekomunikacja Polska S.A (TPSA), the largest Polish telecommunication services operator which has a monopoly over international connections until 2003, will be continued in 2000. On 22 December 1999 Minister Emil Wasacz announced that France Telecom’s offer as strategic partner was not accepted. The new tender will be called at the beginning of January 2000.

1.2 The new consortia of long-distance telephone operators after the first phase of a tender are:

1.3 Elektrim did not participate in the tender for long-distance telephone operators. During the last months there has been a conflict between Elektrim and Deutsche Telecom concerning PTC shares (Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa). Elektrim has bought shares of PTC from BRE, Warta and Kulczyk Holding for its company Elektrim Telekomunikacja (51% Elektrim, 49% Vivendi).

2. Governmental organisations

2.1 The Deputy Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Jaroslaw Okragly, the Ministry's co-ordinator of the governmental solution to the Y2K Problem, is the Plenipotentiary of the Polish Government for Telecommunications in Rural Areas. The new information service http://www.ml.gov.pl/telnawsi.htm has been installed including the full text of "The Strategy of the Telecommunications Development in Rural Areas (2000 - 2004)" and regulatory documentation. The discussion list and a competition for the young Internet navigators are under preparation.

2.2 In the State Committee for Scientific Research (KBN) Ms Malgorzata Kozlowska, the Undersecretary of State chairs the Steering Committee for the Y2K Problem.

2.3 The new Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration, Mr Marek Biernacki, is the national co-ordinator of the solution to the Y2K Problem in Poland. The Ministry’s Governmental Registers and Information Technologies Department conducts the information service on the Y2K problem. Undersecretary of State Kazimierz Ferenc overlooks that department.

2.4 The Ministry of Education continues governmental initiative of installing Internet laboratories in 725 new secondary schools (gymnasiums) created during the process of educational reform. In addition, President Aleksander Kwasniewski undertook a similar initiative that invites private sponsors to support the action called "Internet at Schools" - Project of the President of the Republic of Poland http://www.prezydent.pl/szkola/opis.html. The project has been promoted at the Gala on 17 December 1999 in Warsaw.

3. Associations

The Polish Chamber of Information Technology and Telecommunications (PIIT) (Mr Waclaw Iszkowski, President) published a draft Report on Internet Services Development in Poland in November 1999. On 17 November 1999 the draft version of report was sent to the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Mr Maciej Srebro.

Meeting of PIIT Members will be conducted on 24 January 2000 in Warsaw (http://www.piit).

4.1 IT companies - members of the Polish Chamber of Information Technology and Telecommunications (PIIT) are briefly described on its website.

4.2 The biggest information system providers for governmental administration are Prokom, ComputerLand, Optimus and Ster-Project. PROKOM implemented the information system for the Social Security Office (ZUS). Such a large-scale project has received a lot of publicity. Because of serious obstacles in the implementation process the new President of ZUS, Prof. Gajek, decided to postpone exploitation of the new automated system. According to PROKOM president Ryszard Krauze, incompatibility of ZUS documentation and source information concerning individual cases was the cause of the problem.

4.3 "Internet - Knowledge - Solutions" is the motto of the new strategy of Optmus S.A., directed on e-commerce. The central element of the new strategy will be Onet.pl portal, owned by Optimus-Pascal Co. Optimus Lockheed Martin (OLM) is still in preparatory stage from the beginning in 1998. Optimus is looking for a strategic partner for Optimus-Pascal. Now 50% of Internet advertisement is based on Onet.pl. Value of Optimus shares on Warsaw Stock is growing (from 33 zl to 73 zl during one year). The newest initiative is e-commerce service of Onet.pl http://pasaz.onet.pl - the catalogue of electronic shops co-operating with Onet.

4.4 From January 2000 information, business and entertainment services will be provided by the new portal INTERIA.PL developed by Radio RMF FM and ComArch Co.

5.1 The Young Digital Poland company won the EuroPrix 99 MultiMediaArt award in the category of "serving Multilingual Europe" for an interactive course in English. The Polish winner has been announced together with other categories winners during the EuroPrix 99 Gala in Tampere, on 21 November 1999. Rafal Twarowski of Young Digital Poland spoke of the difficulties in convincing investors in the West about the quality of Eastern European products.

5.2 During the final Gala of the third edition of Information Technology Leader Award organised '"COMPUTERWORLD" weekly (http://www.computerworld.com.pl) under the auspices of the Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek, winners in five categories were awarded:

5.3 Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa (PTC) was the winner in two categories on KOMTEL'99 (Warsaw, 23-25 November 1999)—in the 'New services" category for Eranet service packet and for the best TV advertisement of the Tak Tak system.

Please note that this report has been prepared under the sole responsibility of the ESIS II contractors.
It does not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission, nor does the Commission accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of information contained herein.
The ESIS Team of contractors welcomes any additional information or corrections.